We tend to use the term “research” in common language to represent a broad range of activities from simple internet surfing to traditional laboratory experiments and everything in between. You may have recently researched a topic of personal interest. Perhaps it was related to which degree to seek, which branch of the military to join, which career to pursue, which car to purchase, which neighborhood to purchase a home in, or other decisions you needed to make. When you personally research a topic, it is something inherently interesting to you. In order to make an informed decision, you research that topic to learn as much as you can. What to do… In this discussion, briefly tell your classmates your definition of research and something you recently researched. Describe the techniques and tools you used to research your topic. How does this differ from the academic research you do for a class? How does it differ from research and development conducted in various industries and businesses (aviation, product development, etc.)? How does it differ from scientific research conducted in a lab?